IQV vs TMO vs ICLR Stock Comparison

Iqvia Holdings, Thermo Fisher Scientific and Icon Prices as of Oct 23, 2026 Peers: Industry group
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IQV Iqvia Holdings Inc.
$279.38 +4.2% 1M +27.0% 1Y
Market cap
$45.49B
P/E
33.1x
Revenue (TTM)
$16.98B
Div. yield
–
Contract Research Healthcare
4 wins
ICLR Icon Plc
$185.27 +13.0% 1M +2.9% 1Y
Market cap
$14.43B
P/E
43.9x
Revenue (TTM)
$8.33B
Div. yield
–
Contract Research Healthcare
2 wins

Head to Head

11 decided of 12

Thermo Fisher Scientific leads on 5 of the 12 questions below (Thermo Fisher Scientific 5, Iqvia Holdings 4, Icon 2). Which ones matter depends on what you are buying for; a cheap multiple and slow growth often come together.

QuestionIQVTMOICLRLeader
Larger companyMarket capitalisation $45.49B $254.18B $14.43B TMO
Cheaper on earningsLower P/E, profitable companies only 33.1x 36.5x 43.9x IQV
Cheaper on forward earningsLower price / next fiscal year consensus EPS 23.0x 26.1x 18.1x ICLR
Faster revenue growthRevenue growth, trailing twelve months +8.2% +7.2% +3.7% IQV
More profitableNet margin, trailing twelve months 8.1% 15.0% 3.9% TMO
Better return on capitalReturn on invested capital 8.3% 7.9% 1.3% IQV
Less leveragedLower net debt / EBITDA 4.1x 3.5x 3.5x TMO
Higher dividend yieldTrailing dividend yield 0.00% 0.00% 0.00% –
Better 1-year returnPrice return, last 12 months +27.0% +17.8% +2.9% IQV
Better 5-year returnAnnualised price return, 5 years +1.7%/yr +1.9%/yr -7.8%/yr TMO
Less volatileAnnualised volatility, 1 year 40.3% 29.8% 73.7% TMO
Higher overall scoreMean of the five percentile scores vs peers 65/100 59/100 69/100 ICLR

Percentile Scorecard

IQVTMOICLR

Each axis is the mean percentile of its metrics against the company's industry group. 100 is the best in the group, 50 the middle.

Scores by Axis

AxisIQVTMOICLR
Valuation 80 #3 of 11 60 #93 of 228 90 #2 of 11
Growth 80 #3 of 11 35 #144 of 222 30 #8 of 11
Profitability 90 #2 of 11 83 #37 of 210 80 #3 of 11
Financial Health 8 #12 of 13 28 #174 of 241 75 #4 of 13
Shareholder Returns – 88 #18 of 138 –
Overall 65 59 69
  • IQV ranked among 13 companies in Pharma Services
  • TMO ranked among 248 companies in Medical Devices and Diagnostics
  • ICLR ranked among 13 companies in Pharma Services

Price Performance

Price return, split-adjusted, before dividends. Click a name to hide or show it.

Returns

PeriodIQVTMOICLRSPY
1 month +4.2%+1.2%+13.0% -1.0%
3 months +34.4%+18.6%+11.8% +2.9%
6 months +72.2%+43.5%+81.3% +6.4%
Year to date +23.9%+16.3%+1.7% +11.4%
1 year +27.0%+17.8%+2.9% +13.1%
3 years +49.6%+47.1%-21.7% +79.4%
3 years, per year +14.4%+13.7%-7.8% +21.5%
5 years +8.8%+10.1%-33.2% +67.7%
5 years, per year +1.7%+1.9%-7.8% +10.9%
10 years +277.4%+347.3%+119.2% +255.2%
10 years, per year +14.2%+16.2%+8.2% +13.5%

Risk

MeasureIQVTMOICLRSPY
Volatility, 1Y 40.3%29.8%73.7% 12.7%
Downside volatility, 1Y 39.3%28.3%88.0% 12.7%
Beta vs S&P 500, 1Y 0.730.591.45 1.00
Return / volatility, 1Y 0.670.600.04 1.03
Max drawdown, 5Y -51.5%-41.5%-76.9% -25.4%
From 52-week high 0.0%-3.3%-8.7% -2.5%
52-week high $279.38$696.55$202.92 $779.14
52-week low $156.66$438.34$80.08 $631.97

Valuation History

Weekly multiples on trailing twelve-month fundamentals. Negative or extreme readings (a loss year, a collapsed denominator) are left out so the chart stays readable.

MultipleIQVTMOICLR
P/E now vs peer median 33.7xmedian 36.1x 35.9xmedian 30.7x 44.2xmedian 36.1x
P/S now vs peer median 2.7xmedian 2.7x 5.4xmedian 3.0x 1.7xmedian 2.7x
EV/EBITDA now vs peer median 17.6xmedian 37.4x 25.9xmedian 17.7x 23.7xmedian 37.4x
P/FCF now vs peer median 21.1xmedian 21.1x 34.0xmedian 23.7x 16.1xmedian 21.1x
P/B now vs peer median 7.3xmedian 2.9x 4.7xmedian 2.4x 1.5xmedian 2.9x
PEG now vs peer median 2.84median 2.05 4.27median 0.96 -3.58median 2.05

Financial History

Reported figures by fiscal period, placed on the calendar year (or quarter) each period ended in, so companies with different fiscal years line up.

Trailing twelve monthsIQVTMOICLR
Revenue $16.98B $46.34B $8.33B
Gross profit $5.60B $18.91B $2.01B
Operating income $2.20B $8.15B $325.64M
Net income $1.38B $6.99B $69.55M
Free cash flow $2.18B $7.32B $883.82M
R&D – $1.40B –
EPS (diluted) $8.22 $18.78 $4.16
Cash & equivalents $1.91B $4.06B $928.39M
Total debt $16.00B $42.55B $13.60B
Shares (diluted) 167.30M 371.00M 78.97M
Enterprise value $37.19B $233.20B $11.54B

All Metrics

58 metrics · best in bold

Bold marks the best reading: the lowest positive value for multiples, leverage and payout, the highest for everything else. The bar under each value is its percentile against that company's own peers. Hover a value for its rank and the peer median.

Valuation

12 metrics
MetricIQVTMOICLR
P/E 33.7x 35.9x 44.2x
P/FCF 21.1x 34.0x 16.1x
P/Operating cash flow 16.3x 27.6x 13.3x
P/S 2.7x 5.4x 1.7x
P/B 7.3x 4.7x 1.5x
P/Tangible book 29.6x 7.3x 2.3x
EV/EBITDA 17.6x 25.9x 23.7x
EV/EBIT 27.2x 35.3x 51.1x
EV/Revenue 3.5x 6.2x 2.0x
EV/FCF 27.4x 39.3x 18.8x
EV/Operating cash flow 21.3x 31.9x 15.6x
PEG (3Y EPS CAGR) 2.84 4.27 -3.58

Growth

14 metrics
MetricIQVTMOICLR
Revenue growth (1Y) 8.2% 7.2% 3.7%
Revenue CAGR (3Y) 5.0% 2.1% 1.8%
Gross profit growth (1Y) 4.1% 6.2% -11.5%
Gross profit CAGR (3Y) 3.1% 3.0% -4.7%
Operating income growth (1Y) 1.0% 10.0% -66.6%
Operating income CAGR (3Y) 6.0% 6.7% -28.0%
Net income growth (1Y) 11.5% 6.2% -91.0%
Net income CAGR (3Y) 7.8% 6.9% -48.5%
EPS growth (1Y) 15.1% 7.8% -59.0%
EPS CAGR (3Y) 11.9% 8.4% -12.3%
Operating cash flow growth (1Y) 7.7% 18.9% -7.4%
Operating cash flow CAGR (3Y) 7.9% 5.4% 26.1%
Free cash flow growth (1Y) 8.7% 18.6% -10.7%
Free cash flow CAGR (3Y) 11.3% 7.7% 32.4%

Profitability

14 metrics
MetricIQVTMOICLR
Gross margin 33.0% 40.8% 24.2%
EBITDA margin 20.1% 23.9% 8.4%
Operating margin 13.0% 17.6% 3.9%
Pretax margin 9.3% 16.5% 1.6%
Net margin 8.1% 15.0% 3.9%
FCF margin 12.9% 15.8% 10.6%
Operating cash flow margin 16.6% 19.5% 12.8%
Return on equity 21.8% 13.4% 6.4%
Return on assets 4.6% 6.2% 3.7%
Return on invested capital 8.3% 7.9% 1.3%
Return on capital employed 10.5% 8.3% 2.6%
Asset turnover 0.6x 0.4x 0.5x
Cash conversion (OCF / net income) 2.0x 1.3x 15.4x
Stock comp / revenue 1.6% 0.7% 1.4%

Financial Health

11 metrics
MetricIQVTMOICLR
Debt / assets 53.5% 37.6% 20.7%
Debt / equity 2.5x 0.8x 0.4x
Net debt / EBITDA 4.1x 3.5x 3.5x
Debt / FCF 7.3x 5.8x 3.8x
Liabilities / assets 78.9% 53.4% 42.8%
Equity / assets 21.1% 46.6% 57.2%
Interest coverage 2.9x 5.6x 1.7x
Current ratio 0.7x 1.6x 1.0x
Quick ratio 0.8x 1.0x 0.6x
Cash ratio 0.2x 0.3x 0.2x
Altman Z-score 2.25 3.98 1.97

Shareholder Returns

7 metrics
MetricIQVTMOICLR
Dividend yield – 0.3% –
Net buyback yield 2.5% 2.0% 1.7%
Shareholder yield 2.5% 2.3% 1.7%
Payout ratio (earnings) – 9.5% –
Payout ratio (FCF) – 9.0% –
Dividend growth (1Y) – 8.5% –
Dividend CAGR (3Y) – 10.8% –

Analyst Estimates

Solid lines are reported fiscal-year results; dashed lines are the consensus for the years ahead. Hover a year for the analysts' high and low, and how each result compared with its estimate.

ConsensusIQVTMOICLR
Forward P/E 23.0xFY2026 26.1xFY2026 18.1xFY2026
EPS, next fiscal year $12.14FY2026 $25.77FY2026 $10.26FY2026
EPS growth, next FY +1.8%FY2026 +12.7%FY2026 -18.1%FY2026
EPS growth, the year after +13.4% +1.8% +22.4%
Revenue, next fiscal year $18.58BFY2026 $49.99BFY2026 $8.52BFY2026
Revenue growth, next FY +13.9%FY2026 +12.2%FY2026 +3.2%FY2026
Revenue growth, the year after -3.5% -2.9% -3.1%

Institutional Ownership

13F filings, quarter ended Jun 30, 2026
HoldersIQVTMOICLR
Held by institutions 94.1% 90.2% 100.0%
Institutions holding 1,083 2,621 422
Change in shares held, QoQ +0.3% +0.8% +5.5%
Institutions buying 530 1,141 233
Institutions selling 424 1,144 138
Buyers to sellers 1.25 1.00 1.69

Return Correlation

Daily returns, last 12 months

1.00 means two stocks move in lockstep, 0 that they move independently. Pairs below about 0.5 diversify each other.

IQVTMOICLR
IQV 1.00 0.67 0.55
TMO 0.67 1.00 0.46
ICLR 0.55 0.46 1.00

Add a Peer

Largest companies in the same industry

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Frequently Asked Questions

Which is bigger, IQV, TMO and ICLR?

Thermo Fisher Scientific (TMO) is the largest by market capitalisation: Iqvia Holdings (IQV) $45.49B, Thermo Fisher Scientific (TMO) $254.18B, Icon (ICLR) $14.43B.

Which stock is cheaper, IQV, TMO and ICLR?

Iqvia Holdings (IQV) trades on the lowest price-to-earnings ratio (Iqvia Holdings (IQV) 33.1x, Thermo Fisher Scientific (TMO) 36.5x, Icon (ICLR) 43.9x). On next year's consensus earnings, Icon (ICLR) is cheapest (Iqvia Holdings (IQV) 23.0x, Thermo Fisher Scientific (TMO) 26.1x, Icon (ICLR) 18.1x). A lower multiple can reflect slower expected growth, so read it next to the growth figures.

Which company is growing faster?

Iqvia Holdings (IQV) grew revenue fastest over the trailing twelve months: Iqvia Holdings (IQV) +8.2%, Thermo Fisher Scientific (TMO) +7.2%, Icon (ICLR) +3.7%.

Which company is more profitable?

Thermo Fisher Scientific (TMO) has the highest net margin (Iqvia Holdings (IQV) 8.1%, Thermo Fisher Scientific (TMO) 15.0%, Icon (ICLR) 3.9%). On return on invested capital, Iqvia Holdings (IQV) leads (Iqvia Holdings (IQV) 8.3%, Thermo Fisher Scientific (TMO) 7.9%, Icon (ICLR) 1.3%).

Which stock has performed better?

Over the past year Iqvia Holdings (IQV) returned the most: Iqvia Holdings (IQV) +27.0%, Thermo Fisher Scientific (TMO) +17.8%, Icon (ICLR) +2.9%. Over five years, Thermo Fisher Scientific (TMO) compounded fastest (Iqvia Holdings (IQV) +1.7%/yr, Thermo Fisher Scientific (TMO) +1.9%/yr, Icon (ICLR) -7.8%/yr). Returns are price only, before dividends.

Which pays a higher dividend?

Only one of these companies pays a dividend: Iqvia Holdings (IQV) 0.00%, Thermo Fisher Scientific (TMO) 0.00%, Icon (ICLR) 0.00%. Iqvia Holdings (IQV) and Icon (ICLR) pays no regular dividend.

Which stock is riskier?

By one-year price volatility, Thermo Fisher Scientific (TMO) has been the steadiest (Iqvia Holdings (IQV) 40.3%, Thermo Fisher Scientific (TMO) 29.8%, Icon (ICLR) 73.7%). Volatility measures how widely the price swings, not the risk of the business.

Which is the better stock, IQV, TMO and ICLR?

There is no single answer; it depends on what you are buying for. On the 12 head-to-head measures on this page, Thermo Fisher Scientific (TMO) leads on 5. Business Quant does not give investment advice; use the comparison as a starting point for your own research.

Data from SEC filings, exchange prices and consensus estimates, via Business Quant. Percentile scores compare each company with its own peer group, so two companies' scores are each relative to different peers unless you rank against the whole market. Price returns exclude dividends. Nothing on this page is investment advice.